I was nervous as usual to walk up to perfect strangers to ask for their photo, but thankfully they obliged my request. :-)
Squares and Morning Couples ~ 9/365
The light beaconed me to wake up early, and I'm glad I did. Golden Light is such a good reason to get your hind parts out of bed.
Couple 1: They were in too much in a hurry to give me their information, but they were kind enough to give me this kiss picture.
Couple 2: University Students... Lee Eung Jeon; 23; He likes clothes. (Notice his Gap shirt) with Jeon Eun Yeong, 23, She likes bags. (I think that she means purses) Their likes seems to match up quite nicely.
Pretty Shoes ~ 8/365
Have you ever seen prettier shoes? I makes me want to go out and buy some new sneakers as we speak. Oh the lovely colors!
A group of friends, enjoying a sunny afternoon together outside of Emart - Korea's Wal-mart equivalent.Kim La Yeong 15, - Purple Descent Shoes -- She likes ChocolateKim Ji Su, 16, -- Pink New Balance -- She likes CamerasBak Ju Yeong, 15, Purple and Gray Asics-- She likes Sun ShineYoun Ye Un, 16, - Teal Shoes, She likes PuppiesJeong Yu Jin, 15, Pink Converse - She likes Pink
High School Days ~ 6/365
High School Days with Friends Kim Eun Bi, 19 and Kang Min Ju, 19. They told me that they like chicken and ice cream.
The Bus Stop ~ 5/365
Name: Lee Yu RiAge: 29Between classes, I went in search of my Day 5 personality, Yu Ri, beautifully posed for me. And then I also spotted the best ripped off facebook logo to date! :-) I love Korea.Face Lift Anyone? Perhaps when face book is done conquering the internet, they could join the plastic surgery industry.
Japanese Restaurant ~ 4/365
Name: Jun Eun-Seo Age: 27Today, I was really avoiding going out to take a picture, but there is no way I can quit on day 4. So around 4 pm, I got up the guts to go into a Japanese noodle restaurant that had beautiful Jesus-light streaming in.This guy really hated his picture being taken, but I insisted and he caved in when I said that I would only take a couple of pictures of him.
Rainy Days Are the Best ~ 3/365
When I heard the raining falling out my window, I wasn't sure that I wanted to get up this morning to ask people for their picture, but I did. In bed promised myself a piece of "See's" Chocolate from the USA if I could wake-up and go outside. After that thought, I jumped out of bed got dressed in a raincoat, savored a piece of chocolate (actually I cut open 3 different pieces of chocolate to see what was inside and had a quarter piece of each chocolate so I could have more variety. Yes, I'm a sucker for variety.) and then after dissecting chocolate made my way out into the torrential rains.Lately I have been wondering what is the point of my photography and if it really does any good to take lots of pictures. What do the pictures really do? Can they help many people later? At times this thought discourages me from pursuing it strongly, but today I learned something. When I was coming home after taking picture 3/365, I was soaked, shoes were drenched, I was a bit cold, but I flying.This is what I realized, at the very least photographing people make me appreciate God and his creation, every time I return from taking pictures of random people I feel like I just have won the lottery. So perhaps, these photographs will do nothing more than fill me with joy and appreciation for God and his people. Then so be it, because that in itself makes it worth doing. La fotografia vale la pena.
Family Portrait ~ 2/365
Color and Black in White :-)Almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.Steve Jobs
Day One of Many More :-) 1/365
I'm starting a 365 day project. I have always wanted to and now I am. I think there will be many more 365 day projects to come. Everyday I am committed to ask at least one person for their picture. The point of this project is that my most favorite thing about photography is people, but I don't take enough pictures of people because I am afraid to ask them for their picture. After 365 days, at the very least I will have met many new people and taken many their picture and overcome my fears. I can't let fears of rejection overtake me. That just won't do!I am reading through Proverbs this month, and I came upon this verse.Proverbs 21:5The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.This will be my verse of the year, perhaps life. It reminds me to be patient with myself and God, and to do a little bit a day, because going quickly only brings poverty, but diligence and consistency is what brings success.Have a lovely day~
Jeju Island, South Korea
Jeju Island, South Korea
A Quick Nap #31
It seems that the bus is a perfect place to take a quick Sunday afternoon nap :)
“When you can't figure out what to do, it's time for a nap.”― Mason Cooley
We Dream : Anna Polak
We Dream #1 : Anna PolakKrasnoyarsk, Siberia Russia
“Life is short, you must enjoy good food.”
Age: 26Occupation: Formerly a journalist in Russia, but now studies the Korean language and Food Management in South KoreaFavorite Habit: Eating good food and drinking dry red wine.Favorite Food: Meat and savory baked goodsParent’s Occupation: Restaurant ownersChildhood Dream: To be an animal doctor
When I met Anna for our interview, I immediately noticed her bright eyes and effortless sophistication. She is a women with many passions, interests and with a vision. She comes from Krasnoyarsk, Russia, the third largest city in Siberia, with a population of almost one million people. After she graduating, she worked as a journalist. Yet after just two years at a Russian newspaper, the work lost it’s thrill, and she felt that she needed to look for something more. Her friends suggested that she learn a new language, something Asian, because she loved Japanese culture. She took their advice and started a Korean language course. A few weeks into the course, she learned that her professor was going to South Korea for 2 weeks, and invited her to come. She went, and she immediately was enchanted by the country.She loved it so much that she moved to South Korea to study its language and get a degree in food management. She will be live in Korea for five years.When I asked her what her dreams are in the 10 to 15 years of life, Anna's eyes grow brighter and brighter. She has many dreams, and they stem from her priorities: family and her belief in tolerance.Why tolerance? I ask. Because when you have tolerance, you don’t have to hate people, she said.She explains that when she was young her father left her family, and she didn't meet him again until she was 16 years old. When she met him again, she asked him why he had left and never contacted her. He couldn't explain it, she said. This hurt her, and every time that she was around he father she would feel sad."I hate feeling sad. I don’t want to be sad when I’m with my father; I don’t want to cry," she said.So Anna decided that she must learn to understand and tolerate him so that they could be friends. Regardless of what he had done, he was still her father, she said.This principle guides her not only in her family relationships, but even with strangers who are rude or unkind to her. She says that she tries to find tolerance and understanding for everyone, and not care about their opinions, so that they won’t effect her day or life. And I think this is the wisdom which allows her to dream so freely.What are her dreams, you ask? Well, let's see.....In the future, Anna sees herself as a farmer and a restaurant owner in New Zealand or somewhere similar She wants to live in a two-story house with farmland, 3 children, 2 boys and a girl, and having a chef husband. "He doesn’t need to be beautiful just have a strong body and mind," she said.Her restaurant will have simple food, she says, but have spectacular ambiance."Atmosphere is important," she says while taking a moment to look upward, as if she is envisioning the details her spectacular future restaurant.Anna goes on to explain why atmosphere is vital."Why does ok food, eaten at a friends house taste soooo good?" she asks. "because you’re surrounded by people you love in a familiar, comfortable atmosphere. This is why good food can taste great."So if you're in New Zealand in the next 10-15 years look Anna up, she will for sure have the most delicious of restaurants on the island.Here are a few images from a photography shoot that I did with the lovely Anna Polak. She’s could be a movie actress, couldn’t she?
Pretty Light #28
On this one afternoon, I was lucky enough to find something my friend Amanda dubs 'Jesus light'... Isn't Jesus light, beautiful?
Mist Over the Water #27
A pretty day in Daejeon, South Korea; enjoying the walk from church over the Expo Park bridge to home :)
The Crack #26
"Ring the bells that still can ringForget your perfect offeringThere is a crack in everythingThat's how the light gets in."
Man in Slippers #25
Man in Slippers :)
Man in the Garden #23
A Purple Puddle #21
After a spring rain, puddles reveal God's beautiful work.
The Creature is Sleeping #19
“People say, 'I'm going to sleep now,' as if it were nothing. But it's really a bizarre activity. 'For the next several hours, while the sun is gone, I'm going to become unconscious, temporarily losing command over everything I know and understand. When the sun returns, I will resume my life.'If you didn't know what sleep was, and you had only seen it in a science fiction movie, you would think it was weird and tell all your friends about the movie you'd seen.They had these people, you know? And they would walk around all day and be OK? And then, once a day, usually after dark, they would lie down on these special platforms and become unconscious. They would stop functioning almost completely, except deep in their minds they would have adventures and experiences that were completely impossible in real life. As they lay there, completely vulnerable to their enemies, their only movements were to occasionally shift from one position to another; or, if one of the 'mind adventures' got too real, they would sit up and scream and be glad they weren't unconscious anymore. Then they would drink a lot of coffee.'So, next time you see someone sleeping, make believe you're in a science fiction movie. And whisper, 'The creature is regenerating itself.”― George Carlin, Brain Droppings
Korean Pop Stars #5
A few weeks back, Juan and I sitting in a university cafeteria, and we stumbled upon these girls filming a dance and a song for a singing competition to go to Japan. These pictures remind me to try to always bring my camera with me. Where ever you go there is always a picture. The trick is that you have to be open to seeing the picture.
